This invention relates to an improved surgical retractor primarily for retraction of the ipsilateral, relative to the operator, structures of an incision and, secondarily, for retraction of the cranial and caudal portions of the incision.
Surgical retractors are used to hold a surgical incision open during an operation. Presently, retraction is effected by the pulling of a retractor by an assistant located beside or opposite the operator or by means of a self-retaining retractor. There are numerous disadvantages inherent in the present methods and means for retraction. When the assistant is positioned beside the operator and is pulling a retractor, for the most part the assistant cannot see exactly what he is doing and, moreover, finds the continuous pulling to be very fatiguing. The consequences are inefficiency, i.e., the operation takes longer, hazard, inaccuracy and additional trauma to the patient. Moreover, when the assistant is positioned opposite the operator, in addition to the foregoing disadvantages, the pulling of the retractor is even more fatiguing because the assistant's arm is almost fully extended. Also, particularly when the assistant is positioned alongside the operator, the assistant hampers free movement by the operator. Furthermore, the assistant's arm, in either case, will frequently be resting upon the patient's body and impairing the patient's respiration. The self-retaining retractor, which is typically bilaterally evenly acting, provides retraction on the side at which it is not needed as well as on the side at which it is needed. The retraction is too rigid and traumatic. Moreover, often it must be supplemented with manually effected retraction of one of the aforementioned types.
It is an object of the invention to provide a surgical retractor which avoids the disadvantages of the prior retractors.
Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent to one skilled in the art from the following description of the invention.